Five Years Old

Today is the fifth birthday of Daughter Number Three. Since December 16, 2007, I've posted here 1,940 times (plus another 29 drafts that never made it).

Here's my school picture from kindergarten, taken when I was just a bit over 5 years old:


I was in the class of kids who hadn't turned 5 yet when school started in September. I guess it was sort of a pre-kindergarten. They evaluated us at the end of the year to see who was ready for first grade and who should do another year in kindergarten.

I remember lots of playing in the kitchen or with big blocks and trucks, spending time on the playground that was right outside our door, and being read to by our blue-haired teacher, who sat among us in a rocking chair. And naps, during which I never slept, but instead told myself stories about princesses having adventures in caves. (I was inspired by the quilting on the inside of my blanket, which had holes worn into it.)

It all seems so idyllic, compared with the increasingly academic frame that's being placed not just on kindergarten but preschool. And so innocent, as the lives of young children should be.
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Here are my past anniversary posts, in case you want to see me age before your eyes:

• First
• Second
• Third
• Fourth